The Spirit of the Tree of Death
by The Chthonic Professor
Summary: A single decision made by Harry changes the course of fate. Instead of dropping the resurrection stone in the forest, Harry slips it into his pocket. Through a freak accident, in direct contact with all three of the Deathly Hallows, Harry is transported to a world of death and deceit; the Shinobi Nations.
1. Solitude

**_The Spirit of the Tree of Death_**

 ** _The Chthonic Professor_**

 ** _Summary:_** _A single decision made by Harry changes the course of fate. Instead of dropping the resurrection stone in the forest, Harry slips it into his pocket. Through a freak accident, in direct contact with all three of the Deathly Hallows, Harry is transported to a world of death and deceit; the Shinobi Nations._

-.-

 ** _Chapter One - Solitude_**

-.-

It was over. They'd won, Tom Riddle and his band of Death Eaters had been defeated. The Elder Wand was in his possession. Wizarding Britain was free from the tyranny of a psychopathic megalomaniac.

So why did the burden on his shoulders feel heavier than ever?

He'd tried to suppress it, tried to smile along with the rest of them, tried to believe in their shared past. He couldn't. Not anymore. The last year had changed him, and now that it was over, now that everything was over, it was only clearer to him.

He couldn't go back, couldn't return to what he once was, to what _they_ once were. So he made a decision. He made a choice.

He couldn't go back, so he would go forwards. He would leave, and he would never look back. He had given these people his life, his entire being, but there is only so much a single person can give before they reach their limit. Harry had reached that limit a long, long time ago.

He would leave. He would leave and live for himself, and only himself, for once in his life. He would live free, free of society and all of its damning constraints and expectations. He'd live the way he had always wanted to live.

As he slipped his invisibility cloak over his head, Harry grinned, truly grinned a happy grin, for the first time in over a year. He fiddled with Dumbledore's wand- no, _his_ wand, and absentmindedly stuck his hand in his pocket, to fiddle with the little ring that rested there.

Invisible to the world and happy as can be, Harry strode out into the Castle's courtyard, out through the gates, and eventually through the wards surrounding the magnificent school.

Then, with his cloak sitting comfortable around his shoulders, his wand twirling in his right hand, and his left fiddling with the ring, Harry disapparated.

Though he didn't know it at the time, an incredible phenomenon was set in motion the moment Harry had laid a finger on the ring set in his pocket. Through the direct skin contact of all three Hallows, a magical circuit was created for the very first time, and Death recognized its very first Master.

Now, despite what one may think of Death and its stereotypes, Death was a very faithful servant. All Death wanted was to fulfill his Master's wishes.

So when Harry vanished into the aether with a _'pop!'_ , Death obeyed its Master's wish. If its Master wished to leave, to go to a place he could never be found, to go somewhere that he could start anew, then who was Death to deny him that wish?

-.-

It took Harry a while to get used to his new situation, but as always, he was able to adapt and turn the situation to his advantage.

He'd found himself teleported to the peak of a small mountain entirely covered with incredible foliage and natural greenery. He stayed where he had been transported for days on end, living off of the land, before he'd finally gathered the courage to set out and wander this new place.

He wouldn't notice the little bud of life peaking through the soil upon which he'd arrived as he left.

For a year Harry adventured, and though he wouldn't know it, whispers of a world-weary, emerald-eyed wandered would follow in his wake everywhere he went. After his year abroad gathering information on the land he was now inhabiting, Harry felt an incredibly compelling sensation pulling him towards the location of his initial transportation into this odd realm.

He returned to the very peak of that unnamed mountain exactly a year after he'd initially arrived. What he found left him astonished, and yet somehow feeling whole all the same. There, in the very spot that he'd landed, growing up from nothing but barren soil, stood the tallest, most magnificent yew tree Harry had seen in his entire life.

In awe of the majestic tree's natural beauty, Harry was hit with a premonition, a vision, of something incredible. Though he would never tell a soul of what he saw that day, the vision he saw spurred him into action, and would be the butterfly that sent ripples the size of a tsunami soaring across the Elemental Nations.

With a fevered sense of urgency and the disposition of a man obsessed, Harry set to work crafting a magnificent staff of gnarled yew around his Elder Wand. For seven days and seven nights, without food and without sleep, and without moving from where he was seated at the base of the incredible tree, Harry worked. Bit by bit, piece by piece, imbuing every inch of the wood with the natural magic of the mountain, Harry created a weapon, a partner, and a masterpiece.

He would rest at the top of the mountain, at the base of his Yew tree, until the time was right for him to leave.

In that time, a legend would spring up, of a protective spirit and his beautiful tree, who would protect weary travellers attempting to traverse the treacherous mountain. Though the accounts and tales of travellers relating to the spirit would constantly vary, one little detail would always stay the same.

That the spirit had the most magnificent, breathtaking glowing green eyes anyone had ever seen was irrefutable.

Over the two long years he spent atop that mountain, Harry would gain a new moniker, one that was, without a doubt, his favourite.

 _Shi no Ki no Seishin._

The Spirit of the Tree of Death.

-.-

It had been just over three years since Harry had first arrived on the mountain top. Today was, in fact, July 31st, marking Harry's twentieth birthday. His years living off the land had treated him well, despite what one might think at first glance. His body was wiry and strong, and his eyes held a love for life that they never had before.

At some point in time he'd lost his shoes and socks, leaving his feet bare to the elements. They had become rough and calloused, but he could now walk on jagged rock or uneven soil like a wraith, silent as the blackest night.

His black cloak had long since become frayed at the hem. He wore it open, leaving his chest bare to the world, and tied it closed around his waist with a sash created from the sleeves he'd torn off the robe. Though he constantly wore his hood over his head, his hair had grown long enough to drape in front of his eyes and down to the nape of his neck in a messy waterfall. The final change to his appearance was the ring nestled against his collarbone, held there by a rope made of the finest bark.

However, this appearance had not been seen by a single soul in the last two years he'd spent atop this mountain he called home. Harry had taken to wearing his invisibility cloak at all times, after he had fiddled around with it and found it possessed sleeves and a hood, like an actual cloak.

He'd been meditating at the base of the yew tree, which had only grown larger over the last two years, when a profound understanding overcame him.

Emerald green eyes flew open to stare at the sky above. He breathed in deeply, tasting the fresh mountain top air, almost as if saying goodbye.

Then he stood, and with only the periodic thumping of his staff to mark his passing, slowly went on his merry way.

-.-

 **AN:** Whelp, I've started another story, people. *Sighs*. I really hope this one turns out well, I have some _plans_ for this one! Mwahahahahaha~

…

Peace out, people!

 _The Chthonic Professor_


	2. Lending A Hand

**_The Spirit of the Tree of Death_**

 ** _The Chthonic Professor_**

 ** _AN:_** _Holy. Shit. I am at a loss for words. You people are awesome, over 150 follows and 70 favourites in a twenty-four hour time period! I'm blown away. Now we're up to over 300 followers and it's only been a single chapter, I love every single one of you._

 _Anyway, before I forget: the Disclaimer. It's simple. I don't own Naruto. I don't own Harry Potter. What else do you want me to do, write you a poem about it? Ha! In your dreams. I can't write poetry._

 _Now, on with the story!_

-.-

 ** _Chapter Two - Lending A Hand_**

-.-

On October First, in the year 48 AKF (After Konoha's Founding), Harry James Potter, renamed Toko Hari, casually strolled into the Konohagakure Administration's Office to schedule an urgent meeting with the Yondaime Hokage.

Claiming to be the first in his line to develop a Bloodline, alongside one-or-two surreptitious waves of his staff to… _convince_ , some of the more suspicious shinobi, Toko Hari was accepting into the village with open arms.

Not ten days later, Hari was already proving his worth to the Elemental Nations' greatest Hidden Village. Though the spontaneous appearance of a massive nine-tailed demon fox had been quite a shock to the system, all it took from Hari was an overpowered Full-Body Bind Curse and the fox was subdued long enough for the Yondaime to deal with it himself.

Renaming it _Mahouton: Furubodibaindo no Noroi (Magic Release: Full-Body Bind Curse)_ would induct the Full-Body Bind as his first official Clan Technique.

Hari had been sad to see the young man sacrifice himself for his village like that, he'd only been a few years older than Hari himself. However, he'd been proud of himself. His training for the last two years had paid off, and his actions had probably saved the lives of hundreds of people.

With pride and growing devotion in his heart, Toko Hari was inducted into the ranks of Konohagakure's Jounin corps on the 31st of October, 48 AKF.

He would quickly garner a reputation as kind-hearted, helpful young man with eyes that belonged on a man four times his age, amongst not only the shinobi of Konoha, but her civilians as well.

Hari would take it upon himself to watch over the growth of one young Uzumaki Naruto, being one of the few people privy to his upbringing due to his proximity during the sealing of the nine tails.

Two years after the disaster had struck, Hari was confronted by a mountain of a man with a mane of white hair believing him to be a spy sent to assassinate his godson. After the odd situation had been cleared up, and Hari had explained that he was simply watching over the boy because nobody else seemed inclined to do so, the great Sage had noticed something peculiar about the young man he'd encountered.

Hari didn't exactly know how, or why, but he'd somehow struck up a friendly relationship with the mountain of a man that was Jiraiya. Though the white-haired legend was more than twice Hari's age and an absolute pervert, he couldn't help but befriend the man who reminded him so much of both Hagrid and Sirius.

At the age of twenty two, Hari didn't exactly strike the most imposing figure. He stood at a height of barely 5'6, and weighed no more than one-hundred ten pounds. He was frail and thin due to childhood malnourishment, and physically a far cry from your average shinobi. Over the last two years, many of his enemies found themselves defeated and humiliated for underestimating his capabilities, believing such a frail young man couldn't possible be a Jounin level shinobi.

The instant they'd met, Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin had known otherwise. The boy's eyes, despite being sequestered away behind a pair of wire-frame glasses, were impossibly sharp. His eyes alone were enough to warn Jiraiya that this young man was not one to be messed with.

He'd been glad to see that behind those world-weary eyes was a young man who enjoyed life to its fullest; someone who could appreciate a good joke and wasn't afraid to laugh about it. However, beneath all of that lay something buried deep within the boy that inexplicably set Jiraiya on edge.

For an entire month, the Toad Sage sat on this feeling as he got to know the man who had taken it upon himself to look after his godson. Then it hit him. How he hadn't noticed it before he didn't know, but now that he knew what to look for, this sensation was unmistakeable.

Lounging together side-by-side in one of Konoha's famous hot springs, Hari nearly jumped out of his skin when Jiraiya suddenly gasped and whipped around to look at him, his mane of white hair spraying water in every direction.

"Impossible…" He breathed, staring at the young man lounging beside him. To his credit, Hari's only visible reaction was a slight raise of his eyebrows and a questioning glance at the Toad Sage from the corner of his eyes.

"Hari, your bloodline…" Jiraiya whispered and crawled forwards to get a better look at the young Jounin's eyes. The man's green orbs seemed to swirl with gold dust as a flurry of emotions whirled beneath their depths.

Hari stiffened.

"My bloodline? What about it, Jiraiya? You're acting a little weird, are you sure the heat of the baths isn't getting to you? You _are_ getting old, after all." He quipped in an attempt to deflect the odd question.

"Do you even realize what you're _doing_ , Hari?"

That was not the angle Hari had expected this conversation to take.

"What I'm… doing? What? Jiraiya, you're not making any sense."

"You… by all rights and purposes, you should be dead right now, Hari." Jiraiya intoned with deadly seriousness. Hari just gulped.

"Dead?"

Jiraiya nodded his head sagely. "Yes, dead. You're constantly absorbing Nature Chakra into your body; with that much Nature Chakra running through your coils, you should've turned to stone by now! That's what your bloodline is, isn't it? It's just you using Nature Chakra to perform techniques!"

Hari gaped at Jiraiya, lips flapping like a fish out of water. Which was ironic, really, considering they were both soaking in a hot spring.

"Nature Chakra? What's Nature Chakra?" Sure, Hari had heard of Chakra before. Who hadn't? But Nature Chakra? He'd never heard of that, ever, not once in his four-and-a-half years living in the Elemental Nations.

"Every living thing has chakra, and thus every living thing emanates some form of chakra. This Natural Chakra is incredibly potent, far more so than the regular chakra of human beings. Normally, absorbing this energy would instantly turn someone to stone. However, should someone have chakra that is potent enough, they could theoretically draw Nature Chakra into their coils and channel it to perform incredible feats, things unavailable to even the most powerful of shinobi."

Jiraiya suddenly hopped out of the water and struck a ridiculous pose.

"I, Jiraiya the Gallant, am one such person. Using my incredible skill and talent, I have gained the moniker of the Toad Sage of Mount Myuboku!"

Then, just as suddenly as before, Jiraiya's expression turned serious.

"However, the ability to channel Nature Chakra should only be something that is available for a short period of time, minutes at most, to even those with the greatest and most potent chakra. To see someone who channels it so naturally, as if they were born to do so, is…" Jiraiya trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words.

Hari, however, was grinning. He could work with this.

"That's the thing, Jiraiya-sama," Said Sage glared at him for referring to him as such, "I was born with the ability to absorb and mould Nature Chakra; except for the fact that up until this moment I had no idea that this is what I've been doing all this time. Up to this point, I simply thought I had different Chakra from everyone else."

Hari paused, and gave Jiraiya a searching look.

"Jiraiya, you say you are a Sage, already adept in the workings of Nature Chakra… correct?"

Jiraiya nodded, not liking where his young friend was taking this conversation.

"Then you would have no problem in training me in standard Sage Techniques, would you? Seeing as I already have access to Nature Chakra and all…"

Jiraiya huffed out a sigh and slid back into the water beside Hari, closing his eyes.

"I don't know, Hari, I don't exactly have that much time on my hands." Hari's response was instant.

"I'll teach you how to perform some of the Mahouton techniques I've created."

Jiraiya's eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store.

"You've got a deal, partner!"

The two shook hands, grinning at each other like loons.

And thus began the end of the world. At least, in Sarutobi Hiruzen's opinion.

-.- Four Years Later -.-

At the age of twenty six, Toko Hari was one of the most respected Jounin in the village. Counted among some of Konoha's most Elite Jounin, Hari's reputation both in and outside the village put him on par with the likes of Maito Gai and Hatake Kakashi. The fact that both of these men were only twenty and thus six years younger than Hari totally didn't rankle him at all, whatsoever. Nope. He totally wasn't annoyed by that fact at all.

Though… it truly _didn't_ matter to Hari. In the eyes of the village, he was a well-respected Jounin in the high A-rank scale, and some believed that, should he work hard, he could approach S-rank status by the time he reached his thirties. Sarutobi Hiruzen and Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin knew better. These two powerhouse shinobi knew, without a doubt, that Hari was definitely S-rank material.

The only reason his true strength wasn't reflected in his Bingo Book ranking was because Hari had never needed to display his full strength. Almost all of the missions he'd taken to date required no more than Hari's standard abilities and _Mahouton_ jutsu.

Despite the fact that Hari's stamina and speed were only chunin level, and that his physical strength was even lower than that, his proficiency in both standard Ninjutsu and his versatile _Mahouton_ techniques made him an A-ranked shinobi.

This skill-set was what most people saw on the surface. It shall be reiterated; Hiruzen and Jiraiya knew better.

For the last four years, Jiraiya and Naruto had taken to training together for extended periods of time.

Between his spy network, the fact that Orochimaru had defected, Tsunade was on indefinite leave and outside of the village, and his sensei had no time to spare while holding the position of Hokage, Jiraiya's skills had stagnated. Oh, there was no doubt that he was both an S-rank shinobi and still maintained the prowess he'd obtained in his prime. He was still the Gallant Jiraiya.

Still, his skills had stagnated. He hadn't gotten any worse, but he hadn't gotten any better either. It wasn't exactly his fault, as a shinobi of his caliber could only improve by being pushed to improve by a shinobi of equal caliber.

Then Hari had come along.

Jiraiya had know that Hari was a strong, well-respected Jounin. He'd met the man personally, and the two of them had connected in a way that few ever managed in their lives. It was a bond of brotherhood, forged from a mutual love for piece and understanding of the shortness of life, one that could only come from having experienced it personally.

Either way, Jiraiya hadn't been expecting much when Hari had asked to learn proper Sage techniques. _Boy_ had he underestimated the diminutive young man.

In a matter of months, Hari had mastered Sage mode to a degree that Jiraiya had barely believed was possible. Suddenly, Hari's stamina, speed and physical strength weren't his weaknesses any more, his jutsu had been amplified, and he'd obtained the sensory perception that all Sages developed.

Suddenly, Jiraiya had found a sparring partner of equal strength.

As the years passed, Jiraiya and Hari would continue to push each other to improve. Jiraiya had adapted to some of the more devastating techniques of the _Mahouton_ bloodline; and though he would never be able to perform them to Hari's proficiency and strength, they were still incredible trump cards in battle. He'd finally perfected his Sage mode to the point that he no longer needed Ma and Pa for help, and he'd taken to his forays into Fuinjutsu with renewed vigour.

Hari, on the other hand, had master Senjutsu to a degree that left even the legendary Toads astonished. He could enter and exit Sage mode with the same ease as breathing, and could hold his immensely powerful form for hours. He had developed a devastatingly powerful Taijutsu style that implemented the pure force behind Senjutsu infused attacks, and sometimes Jiraiya felt like he was fighting a slightly weaker Tsunade. On top of his advanced proficiency with Senjutsu, Hari had taken to learning more Ninjutsu from Jiraiya, had begun to experiment with making new _Mahouton_ techniques, and had begun learning Fuinjutsu from Jiraiya.

The day that Hari had begun his Fuinjutsu training had been an interesting one. It was truly amazing to notice the similarities between Fuinjutsu and Ancient Runes.

For four years, the legendary Sannin and the seemingly unassuming young Jounin had trained together, and in that time the two had become immensely powerful. Hari had become so strong that Jiraiya even considered the young man his equal; as powerful as, if not _more_ powerful than the Sannin.

However, the two had done more than just training in the four years they'd spent together. Though Jiraiya had to leave the village often because of his duties as Konoha's spymaster, and Hari often had duties of his own as one of Konoha's Elite, when they were together the two were inseparable. In the span of months, Jiraiya already considered Hari one of the best friends he'd ever made, and within a year the two were practically brothers.

Jiraiya had shared his history with Hari; all of it. From his rivalry with Orochimaru at a young age, to the war and the battle against Hanzo of the Salamander. He told Hari about the orphans from Ame and about the first book he'd ever written: The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi. He told Hari about Namikaze Minato and how he felt like he'd failed his greatest student for being unable to take care of Naruto, who was his godson.

Hari had consoled Jiraiya, assuring him that one day he'd get to know his godson properly, and that the two would surely hit it off and develop a great bond.

Then, Hari had divulged his own story. He'd told Jiraiya of Sirius, his own godfather, of the first war against Voldemort and how his parents had died. He told Jiraiya of the abuse he'd suffered as a child and the reason he was so scrawny and small. He told him of Hogwarts and Hagrid and Dumbledore and all of the adventures he'd had and the friends he'd made.

And he told Jiraiya of the Deathly Hallows, and the chance Death had given him to experience a new life.

Jiraiya had been amazed by Hari's story, and the shared moment had only served to bring the two of them closer. Sadly, sometimes, life just tends to get in the way.

Not long after the two had shared their stories, Jiraiya had received wind of Orochimaru joining some shady organization and had taken off to pursue his new lead. The pursuit had left Jiraiya outside of the village for the last year, and before he had left, he'd asked for Haru to do him a favour.

"Hari," He'd said, looking his friend dead in the eyes, "I need to ask for a favour."

Hari, who had been tending to the plants in his quaint little home, had turned to Jiraiya with a serious expression on his face. He knew when Jiraiya was being a fool and when he was being serious, and this situation was definitely of the latter.

"What is it Jiraiya? You know you can ask me anything." Harry spoke warmly.

"I'm going to be out of the village for a while. I don't how long I'm going to be gone, but while I am, would you look after my godson for me?" Jiraiya asked, his shoulders tight with tension. Harry's smile was as warm as his tone.

"Of course, Jiraiya. You have my word, I'll make sure to look after little Naruto."

The tightness lifted from Jiraiya's shoulder, and he gave Hari one of those smiles that made his eyes crinkle in happiness. Then those steely grey orbs glazed over, and a thought came to Jiraiya.

"He's growing up… he'll be joining the academy soon…" He mumbled to himself, eyes turned up to gaze at the sky through the window in Hari's living room.

"Hai." Hari responded with a slight tilt of the head.

Nothing more was said, because nothing more needed to be said.

Like a whisper in the wind, Jiraiya was gone.

That had been a year ago. Sometimes Hari missed Jiraiya and his perverted ways, but his days had been filled with missions and looking out for his best friend's troublemaking godson, so he never had the time to dwell too much on Jiraiya's prolonged absence.

Everything in Hari's life had changed… and maybe that was for the better. He'd become stronger, far stronger, and had gained a modicum of steady confidence in himself. He no longer walked around with his head down, afraid, but instead held his chin high and his expression happy as he went about his life amongst the citizens of Konoha.

One of the greatest things to change about Hari had, in fact, been his appearance. For the last year, Hari had been attempting to ascertain just how much control he could exert over the realm of the dead, and the consequences had slowly begun to become more visible.

In the last eight years, Hari hadn't cut his hair once. It had flared around him in a lion-like mane for the longest time, until Jiraiya had suggested he tie it back with a hairband. With his hair yanked back into a tight ponytail and a thick, scruffy black beard crowding his chops, Hari had become absolutely unrecognizable from his youth. Up until a year ago, his hair had been jet-black as it has always been.

After only a year spent working on his abilities as the Master of Death, Hari's beard was liberally flecked with grey and the tips of his hair had bled out to a startling snow-white. Despite the fact that he was only twenty-six years old compared to Jiraiya's forty-four, Hari was positive that he already looked older than his white-haired friend. The fact that he carried around a staff with him wherever he went probably didn't help his image any…

Hari had been headed home after debriefing the Hokage on his latest successful mission when, out of the blue, a toad hopped from a nearby rooftop and landed in the road before Hari. The toad croaked once, looked at Hari, and then extended its tongue, revealing a scroll with Jiraiya's signature on the front.

With concealed movements, Hari bent down, retrieved the scroll, and thanked the young toad. It gave him a salute before poofing back to the Summoning World. Hari stood up, cast a surreptitious glance at his surroundings, and hurriedly headed home.

Once he'd sequestered himself away in the privacy of his own four walls, Hari opened the scroll and read Jiraiya's message.

With a stifled gasp, Hari burnt the message, threw on his cloak, grabbed his staff (which had been leaning against the wall beside his front door) and took off for Konoha's northern gate.

He didn't even have to worry about informing the Hokage, Hari was sure the aging man had received a message of his own from Jiraiya.

According to the message, Jiraiya had received word that Orochimaru would be targeting a young Konoha shinobi by the name of Uchiha Itachi in the hopes of stealing the young prodigy's Sharingan eye. Jiraiya was too far away to do anything about it, but if Hari hurried, he should be able to make in on time to save the young Uchiha from Orochimaru's clutches.

-.-

Hari had been traveling non-stop at top speed for over twenty seven hours by the time he reached the location of Itachi and Orochimaru's battle. With nary a whisper to announce his arrival, Hari showed up in time to witness the eleven year old Uchiha slide into Orochimaru's guard and lob off one of the snake's hands with a deft swing of his tanto.

Eyebrows raising slightly at the surprising sight, Hari blurred forward to intercept Orochimaru's next more. With his infamous blade, Kusanagi, held in his other hand, Orochimaru whipped around in an attempt to separate Itachi's head from his shoulder.

The young Uchiha's sharingan eyes widened at the speed of the strike, but he leaned back just far enough so that the blade would bypass his neck entirely.

Then the blade lengthened.

Itachi desperately tried to throw himself out of the path of the poisonous blade. His heart was beating like a drum in his ears, and all he could think about was his little brother's innocent, happy smile. He could only hope that Sasuke would be safe from Orochimaru, protected by his home.

Then, like a gift sent from the Kami themselves, a figure blurred into existence in front of Itachi, faster than even his Mangekyo Sharingan could see. With a dull _thunk_ , the Kusanagi blade slammed into the wooden staff of Jounin shinobi Toko Hari. Once more, Itachi felt his eyes widening. He'd thought this man was an A-ranked shinobi; what we he doing facing off against Orochimaru of the Densetsu no Sannin?

The twenty six year old Jounin glanced back at the far younger ANBU over his shoulder, and Itachi could see distinctive green markings around Toko-san's eyes. The markings spread out like an artistic Fuinjutsu seal, wrapping elegantly around his cheekbones and temples.

"Stand back, Itachi-san." Hari spoke forcefully, and Itachi automatically felt himself obeying. He almost blinked in surprise. He couldn't remember the last time he'd ever obeyed an order instinctually, and from someone of lower rank, no less.

With a deft twirl of his gnarled wooden staff, Hari smacked Orochimaru in the chin. There was a painful-sounding _crack_ that had Itachi wincing, and Orochimaru was imbedded over one hundred feet away in a wall of stone.

"Run, Itachi-san." Hari called without looking over his shoulder. "I will meet you at a small inn several miles south of our current position after dealing with Orochimaru. Should I not return within the day, you are to head back to Konoha."

With that, Itachi nodded and took off, leaving the older Jounin to take care of the snake Sannin.

-.-

 ** _AN:_** _Woot-woot! Left in on a cliffhanger! Now,_ ** _this is important:_** _I want Harry to have a summoning contract and I'm thinking of giving him the owl summoning contract (because Owls are actually connected to death in Japanese tradition), but I'm leaving the choice up to all of you! If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Drop me a review, they're very-much appreciated!_

 _Peace!_

 _The Chthonic Professor_


End file.
